Bubble Bum
Every once in a while I can get very excited about a new child related invention. My latest discovery? The Bubble Bum. I grant you, it is a bit of a silly name, but check this out: it is an inflatable car seat, that rolls into a tiny bag when deflated. For non-car owners like me this invention could be the answer to a lot of problems: I spend my time dragging car seats around with me when I am renting cars which, though necessary, is such a pain.
Especially since I have started using the Autolib’ service, the great new Parisian electric cars, I have been trying to figure out the car seat situation for my girls and the Bubble Bum is a great solution!
- Emilie
P.S. The photo is of the girls on their Bubble Bum car seats on our latest outing in an Autolib’. Good times!
Ten Handy Products for Travelling with Kids
We recently compiled a list of ten handy kiddie travel products for our friends over at i-escape. Check out our list here, and while you’re there make sure to have a look at their newly launched Kids Collection offering more than 700 amazing, family-friendly holiday accommodations.
x Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• The perfect Easter dress from Baby Barn• Win!! Amazing kite from Gray Label!
• Nettle quiche
Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S
I was super excited to have stumbled across this little sewing book on the Oliver + S website this evening. It got me all excited about doing some little sewing projects! I love the styles of the Oliver + S patterns and I have been admiring them from afar, but I have neither trusted my sewing skills nor my attention span to attack a whole outfit. (I am the kind of person who has at least 2 unfinished scarves and 1 side of a knitted jumper laying around at any one time). This book looks perfect for me though, as these projects look easily doable and the results super cute! Look at the lovely tutu below, I would love to make something like that for my girls!
- Emilie
Springfree Trampoline
We’ve moved back to NZ… and for the first time in many years we had our first summer christmas. I do love a cosy winter christmas but there is something to be said for a hot christmas day where the kids can run around outside and burn off all that energy. As soon as I knew we were moving back I planted the idea in their heads that they could ask Father Christmas for a trampoline. My older sister and I had one when we were growing up and I think we played on it every day. They are great for kids as they improve flexibility, help develop their balance and co-ordination, it’s a great workout for their muscles and it develops their motor skills among many other benefits.
Trampolines have come a long way since I was a kid (we had no safety mats or nets!) but now you can buy springfree trampolines as Sara mentioned in an earlier post. I am proud to say these were invented in New Zealand by a father who wanted a safe trampoline for his children. Our trampoline was a huge hit and the kids have been playing on it ever since. I can not recommend these trampolines enough!!
Stephxo
Win a Minui Highchair from Blue Daisy!
I’ve seen and used the HandySitt portable seat before — you often see it in restaurants here in London. But I had no idea that it is a part of a bigger highchair system. Combined, the Minui HandySitt Chair and portable seat form a freestanding high chair. When detached, the chair is a seat for older kids and/or a sturdy step stool… and the Portable Seat is ideal for travel or for restaurants, etc. Pretty handy if you ask me!
The (also handy) webshop, Blue Daisy, is now giving away one Minui High Chair (value worth £175) to a lucky reader! Click here to enter to win.
-Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Resolution 4 of 999,999 — Eliminate Mailbox Clutter• Snowden Flood Mugs
Junior Chair from Ikea
I’m kicking myself now, but I never bought Stokke Tripp Trap chairs for my children when they started on solids. I wish I had looked to the future and realised they would last them for years to come!
So I was very excited when I happened to come across these chairs in IKEA the other day. We have a very high table to accommodate the tall Dutch folks but sitting at it with a normal height chair was a bit of a problem for my 4½- year-old. Now that she has this chair, she can sit in one spot without wriggling around trying to reach her plate. I will buy another one for my son when he grows out of his high chair. I love the simple design and the fact that they are super easy to clean!
Steph xo
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• London shopping guide for Small Magazine• Cute, cool and practical. The DRIA cover.
So simple: Scoot ‘n Pull
As always — simple ideas are best. All of us, mummies of Microscooter-users, know that Microscooters can be tiring, and pushing a 2-year-old home on his/her scooter can result in a really sore back (and not to mention, a foul mood)! Also, the scooter doesn’t really fit in the buggy, does it? Now, with this simple invention, the Scoot ‘n Pull, you can simply pull your kid when he’s tired, and carry the scooter over your shoulder when not in use! Brilliant. I have already thrown my Scoot ‘n Pull in our buggy. Great to have around!
xxx Esther
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• London shopping guide for Small Magazine• Cute, cool and practical. The DRIA cover.
Stripy Blankets from Milk & Coco
All mothers know — a good baby blanket is an absolute necessity! I’m loving these 100% cotton or lambswool baby blankets by the Stripy Company (found at the lovely Australian boutique Milk & Coco). Gorgeous — and super soft!
Milk&Coco is a wonderful boutique, stocking both good-looking essentials as well as luxury goods, so surely you will find that much needed item or that much wanted gift. Also — don’t forget to check out the latest from Olive’s Friend Pop, an Australian clothing brand we love, and the supersoft, sheepskin Flat Out Bears (Ava doesn’t sleep without hers).
xxx Esther
Poplico Reversible Canopies
Our Bugaboo buggy is practically vintage (nearly 7 years old!), but I must say, it has outlasted all our others and is still my favourite buggy we’ve owned! And now, thanks to a brand new Poplico reversible canopy, it looks as good (if not better) than the day we bought it. The Poplico canopies come in 8 different colour sets, are water and stain repellent, and are machine washable and easy to instal. Whether you have a new buggy and just want to customise it or your old buggy needs a facelift, these are the perfect solution. Available to purchase directly from the Poplico website, or from these retailers.
-Courtney
Back to the Bib!
Baby Ava obviously wears a bib when she’s eating and she can’t say too much about that yet, but the other two kids have been feeling WAY too old for a bib for years now … which is kind of annoying, because dinner never seems to escape their clothes, no matter how hard they try. But since I brought home Deuz Napkids for them they have been requesting their bib! I didn’t introduce them as bibs of course, I said that these were ‘clever napkins’ — they are in fact packaged as napkins (very cool) so that was totally plausible. The design, size and colours of the Napkids are aimed at bigger children, so they don’t feel like babies at all when they’re wearing them. And they have seriously helped me cut on the amount of laundry so far!
Napkids by Deuz are ethically made in India from 100% certified organic cotton and printed with non toxic inks. Check here for points of sale.
xxx Esther
Crazy Helmets
You will rarely see adults in the Netherlands cycling with a helmet, but it’s more and more common to see children wearing one. Safety first, of course, and even though I won’t be the first helmet wearing grown-up in Amsterdam myself, my kids do wear theirs fathfully. I’m loving the 3D helmets by Danish company Crazy Stuff (my son Pim sports the crocodile and is thus hard to miss in the Amsterdam street scenes). They are designed by an ex-Lego designer and are really cool looking. But more importantly, they are lined with shock absorbers, are dial adjustable to ensure a perfect fit and meet European and US safety standards.
For kids aged 2 to 8, available through Kidsen.co.uk.
xxx Esther
Luxembourg chairs
The Luxembourg Gardens is one of my favourite parks in Paris. The downside of this park is that there is only a tiny little strip of grass to sit on. Everywhere else you get shooed away by the guards! There is a silver lining to this story though: the famous, green Luxembourg Garden chairs which you can find all over the park, ready to sit your weary bottom on. Surprisingly comfortable, I have spent many lunch hours in them, watching the world go by while munching on a saucisson sandwich.
What I did not know was that you can actually buy them, and mini, kid-sized versions exists too! How great would these look in your garden?
Oceans Friends Beach Bag (by Coq en Pâte)
If you’re searching for the perfect beach bag for this summer, then look no further — this is it. It’s huge, it’s cool, it’s washable, and it’s made with respect for human beings as well as the environment. It has pockets on the inside as well as the outside so there’s a place for sun lotion, hats, flip flops and frisbee. There’s even a little matching pouch that is just perfect to keep your valuables together and safeguard your telephone from sand and sun. With appropriate sea graphics on the outside, and big enough to fit towels for the entire family, this bag will certainly not disappoint. Beware beach — here we come!
xxx Esther
Boon Frog Pod
Have you recently taken a close look at your baths toys? My husband is mostly the one bathing our kids, but last week I happened to be the one scooping the toys out of the bath. Two comments:
1. Where does that black residue on and in the bath toys comes from? Is that mould???
2. How come my husband doesn’t take notice of the fact that the toys are dirty when he’s the one storing them away every evening? (Let’s just ignore this point.)
Time for action. I carefully washed the toys that could be saved, and tossed the ones that couldn’t. Then I got myself a Boon Frog Pod, partly because I always thought it looked so cool, and partly because (I hope) it is now easier for my husband to rinse all of the toys after bath time.
So far, so good. The frog is super easy to install, and looks super cool in our bathroom. It stores away all of the toys, and it also has a very handy shelf for the baby bubbles and shampoo. And no mould yet!
xxx Esther
PS Do you have tips on good bath toys? I think our kids’ favourite ones are the old-fashioned stacking cups!
ReCrib: Out with the old in with the new
A friend just passed along this website to me and I am thrilled to see that someone took the time to put this together! ReCrib is essentially a “Craigslist” for all things child related — a place to buy and sell cribs, baby gear, strollers and all the other wonderful and time-limited things that come along with having children. It looks like the website is only catering to New York and New Jersey right now but I am sure once it gets rolling it will be everywhere! The site offers high-end products from the likes of DucDuc, Stokke and Netto all for a fraction of their retail costs. While I always prefer to donate bygone items to friends or local charities there is something to be said about recouping some cash to purchase the next needed items coming down the pipeline (ie: this crib for this toddler bed).
-Dina
Organic goodies from BabyBearShop
Oh, I’m in love with the cute packaging of the BabyBearShop products. So adorable! This line of organic products is maybe not extensive but it is absolutely enough for what I need. Loving the cheeky baby butter that I’m using for Ava! The lip balms are delicious too (and they come in the cutest packaging), and how cute is the soap with the bird (and again, how beautiful is the packaging with the nest drawn on it and the little holes in egg shape). All available through BabyBearShop.
xxx Esther
French Toast Stamp
This is possibly the most useless gadget in the world, but there is a firm belief in my family that toast that has been embossed with the Eiffel Tower tastes better than toast without any decoration. I have to admit — there is not scientific evidence that supports this claim, but, as we all know, belief is more important than fact. So if little Coco and Vivi believe that toast with an Eiffel tower on it tastes better, I am not one to judge!
I picked my stamp up at the Printemps department shop here in Paris, but here is the link to the list of shops that stock Fred’s Stamps.
-Emilie
La Camille cushions
I think it bodes well for a product when, in its product description, it says: Fait avec amour (Made with love) . It is either a genius marketing strategy, aiming at gullible people like me, or a sincere statement. I am pretty sure that in the case of La Camille, it is the latter.
Esther discovered these pillows and told me about them (she has a good eye, that Esther). Aren’t they super cute? My daughter Violette is now surgically attached to hers. Also have a look at the dream catchers also made by la Camille. It is so much cuter than the old-fashioned dusty feather & bead contraption that is usually associated with dream catchers…
-Emilie
Fjallraven Kanken
When my son was still a babe in arms I bought him a Fjallraven Kanken rucksack for when he started Kindergarten. I bought it from an uber-cool kid’s boutique in Berlin (Le Petite Boutique on Auguststr. in Mitte if you happen to be in the area), and just thought it was the cutest thing to imagine my little boy carrying it on his back to and from school some day.
His rucksack (in colour ‘Putty’) is now very well used, and we also have a navy blue one ready in waiting for my daughter, who starts kindergarten this year. If I have any more children I want to add a Grasshopper Green and a Warm Yellow one to our collection. I think it is the perfect kid’s rucksack. Big enough for a lunch-box and water-bottle and with a pocket in the front for treasures (torches, sticks, string etc). The back is kept sturdy with a removable foam pad which is handy for impromtu picnics when the ground is a bit too cold to sit on. They come in a great range of colours and are really durable. You can buy them at the very cool Austrian webshop, Der Kleine Salon.
-Mo. x
Smart bags
Have you seen the Envirosax yet? Pretty clever, these foldable bags, and such fun designs too! I really, really loathe plastic bags these days. It’s just such a waste, all of that plastic, and so unnecessarily destructive for our environment. If you read these facts, you probably won’t touch another plastic bag ever again! In the Netherlands, more and more shops keep a ‘bag bubble‘ in their shop, where customers can leave plastic bags for others to re-use, which is such a clever initiative. I personally make an effort to keep a little shopping bag rolled up in my handbag at all times (loving the green robot bag from the Kids Series). And for my weekly shopping, my Trolley Dolly is still going strong! What do you do for the fight against plastic?
xxx Esther
PS Fun fact: the founder of the Envirosax company, Belinda David-Tooze, lives in one of the most innovative, totally sustainable eco houses in Australia together with her husband and three small children. So amazing!
